Why is knockdown furniture designed to be taken apart and packed flat?

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Mahogany card table — Furniture Card table, mahogany (primary wood) with original gold patina and gold stenciling, maker unknown, c. 1828; in the Indianapolis Museum of Art. 70.48 × 91.74 × 91.44 cm.

Knockdown furniture is designed to be taken apart and packed flat primarily to optimize storage and transport efficiency.

Because assembled furniture occupies a disproportionately large amount of space relative to the actual materials used in its construction, shipping and warehousing fully built items is costly and space-intensive. By utilizing a knockdown design, manufacturers can significantly reduce the volume of the product; for example, a wardrobe can occupy as little as one-quarter of its assembled space when disassembled and stacked flat.1

To facilitate this, modern furniture utilizes specialized fittings—such as cam, screw, or wedge actions—that allow for precise and easy assembly by the consumer, requiring only simple machining like boring holes or recessing during the manufacturing process.1